families and students involved. right after it happened, students were tweeting the incident to friends. >> we have bill mcdermott on the phone. the superintendant of the school district. thank you for taking the time to talk with us. the most important, the student's condition. what is it? >> caller: at the present time, we're very pleased and very blessed to say, based on information that we have from the hospital, that there were no severe injuries the young man has suffered and it does not appear -- right now, you have no idea about any long term prognosis. right now, it looks like minor injuries at the most. but they are still -- they are still working on it there at the hospital, as i understand. >> glad to hear he's doing well. can you tell us if they were on a field trip near fort point, how did he come to climb?

did he climb up to that section of the bridge or what is your understanding of what happened? >> caller: no. actually, they were walking out on the bridge. this is a wonderful part of our huh pan humanities program, the required literature and history and social science with philosophy and sociology and things like this. they were on a field trip and the first thing they do on the way to the museum is they will stop and walk on the golden gate bridge. that is quite an inspiring experience for most students. >> what made him jump off. excuse me. what happened that made him jump off? >> caller: we have no idea. the investigation of the california highway patrol, the police agency for that section of the highway on the golden gate bridge is doing an investigation and at the present time we're doing our own investigation. we have not found any particular

motive at all. in spite of rumors, there's nothing that indicates anything other than just what took place. >> thank you very much, mr. mcdermott. let's hope our next guest, chris reardon, with the california highway patrol, you are doing the investigation mr. mcdermott was talking about, perhaps you can shed more light that happened on the bridge that led the stupid to jump. >> caller: good evening. you guys pretty much have it all. there's nothing further i can shed on it. >> we heard rumors about this being some sort of dare that some of the other students may have been cheering or goading the student on. can you confirm or deny any of that? >> caller: i heard the same rumors and i cannot confirm or deny. >> can you give us an idea how high up the student was at the time he went over? we also heard he was very clear with paramedics saying the wasn't trying to kill himself. >> reporter: the span was 250 feet and he was slightly lower

than that. >> this is obviously we're learning that the young man did not intend to kill himself. have others jumped at this location and died? >> caller: any time you jump from the bridge, you're taking a risk that you're going to lose your life. it's a very, very serious thing. >> do you have any record of accident? is there a record in this area of people falling accidentally? we all know the height of the railing at that point. are there -- do you have anything? are there accidental cases of people accidentally falling over, if that's a possible explanation in this case? >> caller: for somebody to go over that particular railing which stands approximately 4, 4.5 feet high, it would be quite the accident. >> mr. rardin, if it is the case he did jump on a dare, will the student be facing charges for jumping off? >> caller: we're still looking into that. the main thing we're determining if there should be charges or

whether or not this individual needs help and we need to get that individual that help. >> chris rardin with the florida highway patrol. thank you for this information follow ill continue tocc1: this story in a live report at 6:00. >> we want to stress, that young man very lucky. that should never never happen. capitol hill the scene of an emotional and oftentimes angry debate on the issue of homegrow: terror? >> there's nothing radical or un-american in holding these hearings. >> targeting of the muslim american community for the actions of a few is unjust. >> a very controversial debate today, lawmakers wanting to know are many american muslims looking the other way as terror groups do their recruiting in the united states. we have team coverage. tracy has local reaction to today's hearing but we begin with steve handlesman with a very fiery debate on capitol hill. >> reporter: thanks. good evening. on capitol hill it was

definitely fiery, for several hours this house hearing called by new york republican peter king. he insists his goal was to prevent more terrorism in america not to question the patriotism of american muslims. the main point of the hearing was not controversial. >> that homegrown radicalization is part of al qaeda's strategy to continue attacking the united states. >> reporter: no question. radicalized virginia born doctor nadal hassan killed 14 people at ft. hood. carlos bledsoe killed a private in little rock. his father says he was recruited at a tennessee mosque. >> he was manipulated and lied to. >> reporter: leaving for jihad in somalia. his uncle said u.s. muslims looked the other way. >> we never got help from our leaders. from ouring orrists, big islamic organizationists. >> reporter: should american muslims do more to stop al qaeda

recruitment. saying yes. >> the u.s. has a problem with muslim radicalization. i'm muslim and realize it's my problem. >> reporter: but holding musliming to account for the crimes of a few angered many leaders. >> islamic muslims have spoken many times against violent extremi extremism. >> reporter: a muslim in congress remembered a first responder killed on 9/11. >> he was a fellow american who gave his life for other americans. >> reporter: a hero's story in a hearing about who's to blame for a new crop of muslim villains. some democrats up here today were so upset they insisted this hearing itself would be used by al qaeda as a recruiting tool that radicals could claim as proof that the u.s. government really is at war with islam. this hearing, the lead up to it, all the controversy followed avidly, of course, by muslim

american communities coast-to-coast. our traci grant today was in san francisco. that's where she is live. traci. >> reporter: well, steve c.a.r.e. stands for the council on american islamic relations and describes itself as the nation's largest muslim civil rights advocacy group. we spoke to someone from c.a.r.e. today who compares it to the naacp in its efforts to promote justice and empower this people who worship here at this mosque in san francisco as well as muslims across the country. she say this one thing c.a.r.e. just isn't is a terrorist organization. >> we were concerned that congressman peter king and some of his colleagues would use the hearings as an opportunity to paint opposition to c.a.r.e. >> reporter: she says her concerns were justified. she woke up early this morning to watch the house homeland security hearings on islamic radicalization only to find the organization she works for, the

council on american islamic relations known as c.a.r.e. was mentioned repeatedly in a negative way. >> we encourage people to vote, empower people to contact their congressional officials and we have time and again reported individuals of concern to law enforcement. >> reporter: that's how some of the people who testified at the hearing see c.a.r.e. they believe the national organization impedes investigations into terrorism and protects radical terrorists here on u.s. soil. bay area congresswoman jackie sphere was one of the lawmakers who took issue with the entire concept of the hearing she believed was unfairly targeting muslims. snow if we're really going to be complete in this hearing, we should also be investigating the army of god and their website in which they openly praise christian terrorists. >> reporter: she says she fears this hearing and any others that will follow will fuel hate crimes on the streets and attacks from those seeking political gain in washington.

>> we're fearful this type of dialogue or this type of rhetoric is only going to pick up as we move into a presidential election cycle. that's what we see a lot of times, targeting of minorities and scapegoating of communities something that happens as a polarizing technique during elections. >> reporter: now, she says it was disheartening to watch this hearing today. she said a small part offer was actually very optimistic. she said it was great to see the lawmakers who actually stood up at this hearing to defend muslim-americans. live in san francisco, traci grant, nbc bay area news. >> more bad news on the job front today. bad news even if you do have a job, at least one that comes with a 401(k) invested in the stock market. with the damage. >> the latest job numbers sent investors to the exits and has many people scratching their heads because the economy seems to be getting better. the latest numbers shows new applications for unemployment

rose than expected as more people struggle to find jobs. in the otherwise strong tech industry, america online will lay off 900 workers, 20% of its work force, trading at the lowest level since it re-entered the public market. stocks went sharply south today, more uncertainty in the market and oil. add them together, you have a rough day for your money. a silicon valley company has new tools to help if you're looking for work. we'll take you inside linkedin and show you what it found for your next job, all about tapping into your social network and making yourself stand out in an increasingly competitive job environment. >> thank you. the budget governor brown had on tap for today will likely happen monday. he changed the deadline saying he was making progress with republicans whose votes he needs to pass his budget plan. they do support the budget cuts

but many democrats say they're too severe and will hurt the state's most vulnerable. republicans are balking at tax increases or extensions democrats are reluctantly accepting. brown has proposed equal doses of cuts and taxes through next year to shrink the state's $25 billion deficit. from the state capitol to nation capitol where two marin county girls were and they called for national action against school bullying and the internet has changed how and when children can be bullied, even in their own homes. mary ann was live there. >> reporter: the white house says 1 in 3 school children report being bullied during the school year. some of those cases end tragically with parents and educators completely unaware of the problem until it's too late. >> we decided we wanted to reach

out. >> sara and emily are the authors of a 2008 book titled "letters to a bullied girl" after they were moved by a bullying victim in nevado. their letters ended them in the oval office of the president and his wife who heard the story of an 11-year-old of massachusetts whose mother was at the white house today. >> carl was a wonderful little boy but he wasn't treated right at school. >> reporter: he took his own life rather than face another day of bullying. >> if there's one goal of this conference, it's to dispel the myth that bullying is a harmless rite of passage or inevitable part of growing up. it's not. >> as parents, it breaks our hearts to think that any child feels afraid everyday in the classroom or on the play ground or even online. >> reporter: the administration also used facebook to reach out to parents and educators. while the internet is a potent tool, it's also proved a lethal

weapon for bullies. >> it's harder to escape cyber bullying because it seems like it's everywhere. you can be bullied at school, on the way home, at home. >> reporter: many parents don't even know their children are being bullied. 9210% told their parents and 5% told somebody at school. >> reporter: the goal of this conference is to start a national dialogue that leads to real change. a new website will help turn today's talk into action. stop bullying.gov provides resources for parents and educators. nbc bay area news. >> thank you. the state is asking pg & e to make changes to the way it handles the smart meters, how you could opt out of getting the device in the future. we'll tell you how. i what some are calling a medical milestone. find out about a new drug doctors saymon treating a crippling immune system disorder. >> and getting rid of the one dollar bill. [ wheezing breaths ]

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a fire damaged the home of former mousekateer annette funny cello. she was at home with her husband and nurse. she was not seriously injured. all three were taken to the hospital. the 68-year-old actress has been in poor health with multiple sclerosis and was in a wheelchair at the time. asking pg & e to set up a process about getting out the smart meter if they have concern about health effects. some are questioning the safety because of radiation.

pg & e maintain this meters are safe. >> there will be plenty of fishing this salmon season, the best in years. federal investigators loosened restrictions. there is a big increase after many years of restricted chinook fishing. experts don't know why the salmon population is so abundant but think the previous fishing ban and improved ocean conditions are responsible. now to jeff in the weather center. i have one word for you today and that is gloomy. >> yes. gloomy and even showery for parts of the bay area as the cloud cover and weak system passed through. the san francisco camera, a little wet but sun trying to come out. 56 right now. weather in southwest at 8 miles an hour. we did pick up rain at point reyes, and santa rosa, not so

bad and berkeley, .08 and we didn't expect it to be big, just to get the roadways slick. current numbers, 50s in san francisco, 54, 61 in gilroy, and concorde down to livermore. throughout tonight, we will see the storm system push out, and a lot in the atmosphere and patchy and drizzle for inland spots and cloudy and drizzle and sun. calling it the old mixed bag, clouds and sun and also showers returning. look at the radar right now. doesn't show much left. spotty showers in the golden get a -- golden gate bridge and north bay and it will dissipate tonight and tomorrow as high pressure will build back in for most of friday and parts of saturday, keeping us on the cool side but also dry here as well

for friday. temperatures in the 60s with gradual sunshine coming back into the mix. tonight, for the east bay, 11:00 p.m., temperatures in upper 40s by 6:00 a.m., watch out for fog and upper 40s and temperatures in the low 50s. tonight, low 40s in south bay, 42 in los gatos and 44 in oakland and 40 in san rafael. don't forget tomorrow night, 6:00 p.m., giants in the bay area, returning back to television, home of the giants playing there in arizona. if you are going to be sitting in front of the tv and watching our amazing coverage with raj maathai, you can bask in sunshine happening in arizona? . for us back at home, we stay in the upper 50s to near 60 degrees and once again, the rainfall starting to move on out. we'll be looking at that gradual sunshine tomorrow. 59 in san francisco, 61 in

benicia and inland locations and north bay. another nice day coming our way with 59 in novato and 58 in san raffaele. more on the weather channel on cable. and remember the clocks, bring them forward as we head to sunday morning and chance of rain sunday night and chance of showers monday and rain tuesday and sunday. kind of an off again pattern over the four or five days, just don't blame me. >> we never do. >> funny you mentioned raj maathai. where is raj? there, a professor on the stanford campus today. a guest lecturer at the stanford graduate school of business. yes. raj speaks to the business school every quarter. he was joined by 49ers hall of famer ronnie lott. today's topic how businesses handle crisis management. they have been working with the

professor, george foster since 2005. he gets the guest lecture. that's why he's not here today bit also on his way to arizona for the game with the padres tomorrow. >> i hear he's a real easy grader. everybody wants to be in his class. coming up, still ahead at 5:00, the donald making headlines about the big decision he will make this summer. >> what the fda has done for the first time in and how years and it could change life for people suffer cfroniconic immune disease. cc1:cc1:cc1:cc1:

will the star of "the apprentice" be the candidate in 2012? it may soon be heard across the country. rumors of that possibility were confirmed this week when "the apprentice star" donald trump met with a luxury developer in new york. he said his talent and business

and global relationships are sure to give him an edge in the competition. he says he will announce his plans by june. >> the food & drug administration approved the first drug in more than 50 years to treat lupus. it is hard to treat because the immune system goes into overdrive attacking its own healthy organs and joints. many drugs to treat the disease leave patients vulnerable to infections, an experimental drug was able to suppress the immune system just enough to relieve flare-ups and pain. >> it basically take this hyperactive part of the immune system and decreases that hyper activity. nothe fda said the drug didcc1: appear to help many after -americans andcc1: will be l research itcc1: used in combination with other drugs. it won't come cheap. it could cost up to $30,000 a year. >> wow, that isea h.vy feeadsvy a unusual1: oating ancc

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administration, they're batting around dozens of ideas to save money and bring the budget back in line. >> one of them is actually getting rid of the dollar bill and replacing it with the one dollar coin. the government accountability office said it could save billions over the next 30 years. the dollar bill has a shorter life span than the coin and they have to pay more. when give an choice between coins and bills, people always choose bills except for garvin who convinced me the coin is the way to go. >> if you made it different

enough than the quarter. just in your hands you feel it, go to the coke machine, instead of four quarters, plop one in. >> have to put you on the committee. thank you. "nightly news" is next. and the help with the toughest math homework, good news, it's fry. cc1:cc1: